She Missed Lunch
by Rosesdancinginmymind
Summary: Regina misses her weekly lunch with Rumple (who in this story is her father). He knows something is wrong and goes to look for her. A very AU version of 2x21. TW for references to electrocution and its effects.


_AN: I don't know why but I was having Daddy Rumple/Regina feels. I sat down intending to write fluff but then this happened and I don't think I can call this fluff. Minor spoilers for 2x21 but very AU, for this story assume that Regina and Rumple have known they've been related for a while, Regina never sided with Cora and she wasn't looking for the trigger but was instead just kidnapped by Greg and Tamara. Minor hints of SQ but the the main focus is Rumple and Regina. TW for references to the effects of the electrocution. I don't own Once or its characters. Apologies for any mistakes. Hope you like it :)_

_Summary: Regina misses her weekly lunch with Rumple. He knows something is wrong._

Something is wrong. I am sitting in the corner booth of Granny's with a coffee that grows ever colder. I fidget worriedly and look up at the clock. The widow Lucas follows my gaze and gives a concerned frown. I have no misperceptions about that look, her concern is not for me but for the empty space on the other side of the table. 10 past 12. Something is wrong. She's never late. Never. Even in the beginning when our meetings were fraught with silence and tension she would still be here on time. I can feel it in my bones, I've lived enough years to know when something is off and now I'm worried. I sigh leaving some money for the untouched coffee before checking my phone, nothing. I know her, she wouldn't stand me up without sending some sort of message.

I leave the main eatery of this town and walk over to Regina's office. Just let her be there, I think. As I walk I stumble across the shepherd prince who notices the worry etched across my face. "Something wrong?" he asks. Since the revelation regarding my son and Henry, the Charmings have attempted to welcome me into their family, they didn't bother when I was just his grandfather through Regina, I think with a frown. I consider ignoring Charming's attempt at concern but then realise he could be useful if my fear turns out to be true.

"Regina didn't show for our lunch"

"Maybe she's just late" he suggests with a shrug.

"I hope so but Charming I know my daughter, she's never late. Something's wrong"

He frowns, "Are you sure? Maybe she was just busy"

"She'd tell me" I reply impatiently wanting to get to Regina's office and hopefully see her there.

"Maybe she forgot. You could be making something out of nothing"

I sigh knowing I need to convince him and fast, "If you knew something was wrong with your daughter would you take that chance?" it's a low blow but I need to find my daughter.

He sighs and frowns before giving me a look that knows I've convinced him, "You're right" he concedes, "Did you check her office?"

"I'm on my way there now"

He nods, "Well then let's get going"

* * *

Charming storms his way into the office, gun drawn looking very much the man of action the stories of our land paint him out to be. "Regina" he calls only to be met with silence. I hobble in behind him to see the empty office and I can feel the pit of dread growing in my stomach. I vaguely hear Charming calling his daughter to come assess the situation, but all that matters to me right now is finding Regina.

"We'll find her Gold" Charming says confidently though it does little to reassure me.

I don't get a chance to reply as Emma comes walking in through the open door, "What's going on?" she sounds slightly out of breath and I realise she ran here. "Regina is missing" Charming summarises the situation as Emma paces the office checking the room for any signs of a struggle or a break in. She stops when she reaches the security panel.

"When did you last hear from her Gold?" she asks, I can detect a hint of panic in her tone which confuses me.

"Yesterday around noon to confirm our lunch date today"

"Okay well the security system was set to override at 6 this morning"

"Who would she need to override her own system?" Charming asks confusedly.

I can feel that pit in my stomach again, someone took her, "She wouldn't" Emma says before uttering a single name "Tamara" that makes my blood run cold.

"Why would she take her?" Charming asks, "She's just Neal's fiancée" he adds with a hinting tone.

She glares at him, "It isn't about that, there's something suspicious about her, she just happens to come to town the day August is attacked, I spot her with a list of fairytale names and their counterparts and then the day after Regina disappears. I don't think that's a coincidence" I have to say I agree with her logic, I haven't had much chance to interact with the woman but something about her does seem off.

"We shouldn't close off any avenue of investigation though Emma, I'm sure there's plenty of people who would want to harm her"

I fix him with an angry stare at those words, that is my daughter he's talking about and though he and most of the town seem to have ignored it, she has done her best to change, she has been good for Henry, she helped them defeat Cora and she has been avoiding using magic. Why can't they just give her a chance? I think bitterly. I notice Emma giving him a similar angry glance.

"Fine, we won't. Gold you have magic, surely you can track her?" again there is an odd hint of desperation in her tone. I think over her question and run through my knowledge of magic and tracking spells to see if I can find one that will lead us to my daughter. I've got to find her before anything happens. Finally I remember something I have that will help, something I took when I thought Regina was just a student and the one to cast my curse. "Come with me" I announce to the confused pair before making my way to my shop.

"What are we doing here Gold?" Emma asks impatiently.

"I have one of Regina's tears, we can use it to track her"

"Why do you have one of Regina's tears?" Emma asks sounding mildly horrified.

"Does that matter right now?" my tone silences her.

"How does that help?" Charming asks.

"I can enchant this and if one of us drops it in their eye they will see what Regina sees and feel what she feels"

"I'll do it" Emma volunteers before I even finish my explanation.

"Emma" Charming hisses, "You don't have to do this" his voice his laced with concern.

She shakes her head, "I do, I need to find her, for Henry" her tone suggests to me that there is a little more there than that but I don't have time to ruminate on that. "Fine" I say, "But for it to work, we need the tears of both users so cry Miss Swan"

We watch as she stands stock still, eyes closed, before a few tears come sliding out, I gather them quickly before placing the enchantment over the vial. I hand Charming the dropper as Emma sits on the makeshift bed that is still in the backroom. "Are you sure?" he asks one more time as he stands over his daughter who simply nods.

A few seconds pass and nothing happens. I feel worry beginning to surge in my gut, what if it didn't work? My fear is momentarily assuaged when Emma suddenly grabs her head, it's working I think. My relief quickly turns to horror though when Emma's body jerks and she lets loose a pained whimper followed by a small scream of agony. I see tears sliding down her cheeks as clutches at her head. "Emma!" Charming calls to her clearly panicked. Oh god, I think, what are they doing to my daughter? I can feel the anger and fear rising within me, I feel something prick at my eyelid and raise a hand to notice that it is a tear. I need to get to Regina, if what Emma is going through now is what she has been going through since this morning, god I can't bear to think of it. I failed, I think, I failed to protect her from this.

Emma finally stills and gasps, tears still rolling down her face, "I know where she is" she says before brushing the tears from her eyes, "We need to get there fast though"

"Are you okay to come? Perhaps you should rest" Charming attempts to reason with his daughter but alas for him she is far too stubborn. The sheriff has already stood, "I'm coming, we're getting Regina now, the cannery" she says before already running out of the door. I follow as fast as I can before catching up to Charming and Emma who are already at his truck.

"Perhaps you should wait here" Charming says looking down at my cane.

I stare at him, attempting to glare but I know the panic is probably preventing that from coming across, "She's my daughter Charming. I'm coming"

I ignore his further attempt to plead with me and climb into the backseat determined to save my daughter.

* * *

Charming leads the way into the cold building, gun drawn as Emma and I follow careful to avoid the barrels, we need to be silent in our approach here. "The basement" Emma whispers as we descend lower into this building. The air is stale and noise seems to echo. As we run down the hallway I hear a loud zapping noise and a pained scream. Regina. My desire to protect my daughter sends me running into the other room, I ignore the shooting pain and resistance in my leg, it doesn't matter, I will not lose my daughter. I enter the room, Charming hot on my heels and see Tamara and that Greg Mendel by some machine. I raise a hand using my magic to freeze them both.

I vaguely register Charming going to arrest them but it fades out of vision, the only thing I can see in the room is my baby, my daughter unconscious and pale on the table. They strapped her down, I can see the evidence of burns, I can feel how weak she is now and I can see the pain etched into her face even unconscious.

"Regina" is all I can say tears creeping out of my eyes and into my voice as I place my hand on her clammy forehead.

"Gold" I hear Emma's voice from behind me, "We need to get her out of here" I nod knowing she's right and move to take the sticky electrodes from her head.

"The bitch deserved it" I hear spat out from the man who did this to my daughter. I turn, anger blazing, "What did you just say?"

"I said she deserved it" he says again. I move towards him fully prepared to incinerate him but a hand on my shoulder stops me, "Gold, it won't help her, focus on your daughter, ignore them, help Regina" Emma says steering my focus back to Regina.

My eyes scan down to the cuff on her wrist, I need to get that off of her, I go to pull it off but it doesn't budge. I frown realising they've enchanted it somehow to keep it on her body. I concentrate my magic over the cuff and it dematerialises. Emma moves behind me before sliding her arms beneath Regina and pulling her into her hold. I move placing my hand on my daughter's arm and brushing some hair from her forehead. Emma notices my worried expression, "I've got her" she says calmly and I can't help but hear the relief in her voice.

I nod as Charming asks, "What do we do with these two?"

I have an idea, I walk over to them before raising my hand, the spell renders them unconscious, "What did you do?" he asks concerned.

"Wiped their memories, send them over the town line, they'll wake up thinking they had a car accident with no knowledge of Storybrooke or magic"

He nods and I wave my hand once more, "I've deposited them in your truck, I trust I can rely on you to dispose of them" he nods before turning his attention to our daughters, "I'll be fine, go" she insists whilst cradling Regina close to her.

"How will we get back?" she asks. I walk back over to her placing one hand securely over my daughter's small frame before transporting us in a cloud of magic to Regina's mansion.

"Urgh, I hate teleportation" she grouses before heading up the stairs. I frown wondering how she knows the layout of the place.

She gently lays my daughter down in her bed, I stand in the doorway but she clearly doesn't notice as she drops a small kiss to Regina's forehead, "You really scared me today Gina, please wake up soon. I'm gonna come back later with Henry but I have to go deal with Greg and Tamara, let your dad take care of you. I promise I'll see you later" she reaches down to squeeze her hand before standing and seeing me in the doorway. "Take care of her" is all she says before leaving to sort out the aftermath of today.

I nod waving my hand once more so my daughter is in pyjamas rather than office clothes. I walk over to the bed and pull the covers up, I never got the chance to tuck her in as a child, I think, as I adjust the blankets over her sleeping frame. I too place a kiss to her still clammy forehead.

I walk into her bathroom, feeling a wave of exhaustion from the events of today. She's alive, I remind myself, she's alive. It is in the solitude of my daughter's bathroom that I allow myself to cry for a few minutes over what she has endured and how today could have turned out. I take a few deep breaths, placing my hands on the countertop and try to compose myself. I can't break down. Not just yet. Not when she stills needs me. I look through the small cabinet before finding a cloth and running it under the cold tap. I think back to the burns and shudder.

I limp back into her room, feeling the pain from running earlier catching up with me, and sit on the edge of her bed. I gently place the cool cloth over her head and see a small flinch as it comes into contact with her burning skin, part of me worries that I'm hurting her, the other part of me is just glad to see a reaction at all. I continue washing the burns on her head as she sleeps for a few minutes before I see her eyes begin to flutter open.

They quickly close again at the light in the room and I immediately turn off the bedside lamp hoping that I helps, I move to squeeze her hand as tries again to open her eyes, "D-ad" she half whispers, half stutters out and I smile feeling happy tears roll down my face at hearing her voice again.

"Regina" I say as she tries to sit before wincing in pain. I gently push her back down, "Stay down for now, you need to rest" I instruct.

"Need protect Henry" she mutters, frowning at her lack of sentence construction.

"Henry's fine" I reassure her placing the cool cloth back on her forehead. She hisses and tries to wriggle away, "I know it's uncomfortable but it will help the burns. Try and stay still" I say trying to soothe her physical injuries.

"You saved me?" she asks after a few beats of silence, her voice sounds unsure.

"Well Charming and Emma helped" I say with a smirk, "But yes, of course I did"

She gives me a weak smile.

"I knew something was wrong when you didn't show up for lunch today so I went looking and with Emma's help we found you"

"What did she do?"

"We used a spell to track you down"

"Hurt her?" she asks, her voice small and tired.

I choose not to tell her the specifics right now, "She's fine"

"Greg and Tamara?" she asks and I can hear fear in my daughter's voice which causes that pang of pain again. I place my hand on her shoulder hoping to calm her, "No longer an issue, they can't hurt anyone in this town again"

"Did you kill them?" she asks worriedly.

I shake my head, "No, wiped their memories and sent them back across the border. They won't be able to get back in. I'll make sure of that. I promise you Regina, I will always do my best to protect you and I'm so sorry I failed to do that today" I can feel the tears snaking down my face again as I look at my daughter, "I'm so sorry, god I could have lost you"

"You didn't" her voice cracks through my sobs and I can feel her trying to sit again. She manages to get herself into a sitting position before collapsing against me, her body still too weak for that much movement. I pull her close as she mumbles, "You saved me"

I let the sobs loose, unable to contain them as I hold my exhausted daughter in my arms, "I know, I shouldn't have had to. I should have protected you better"

"Not your fault"

I smile at her as she rests her head against my shoulder, "I know but I'm your father, I'm always going to feel that I could have done more to protect you. I love you so much and you scared me so badly today. Please don't put me through that again" I say kissing her on the top of her head.

"Won't. Love you too"

I grin at that, "Get some rest Regina, Emma's coming back later and she's bringing Henry"

She smiles, "'kay Daddy" she mumbles before quickly succumbing to her own exhaustion. I hold her sleeping form in my arms for a little while, reluctant to let her go after what happened today but I know this position isn't good nor is it comfortable for her so I gently remove her from my arms and resettle her under the covers before moving a chair so I can sit beside her.

* * *

At some point I must have drifted off, I can hear a noise from nearby and my eyes quickly snap open. I jump up upon seeing my daughter thrashing and whimpering in her sleep. "Regina" I whisper before grabbing her hands to stop her from doing herself anymore harm, I see that she must have scratched at one of the burns on her forehead as it is now raw and bleeding. She continues to thrash against me as I move to sit up and hold her body still. "Regina, wake up" I plead my voice rising a little. Her body stills but she's still whimpering, I move my hands and her arms fall limply to rest on her lap, "Regina" I call, again while smoothing the tears from her face. Her eyes flutter again and she cries "Da-ddy" before slumping against me, I can feel her fumble with one her hands as she tries to cling to me. I help her, moving her hand to wrap it around my neck before hugging her whilst she cries. I can feel my heart ache as she sobs against my chest, I rub circles on her back as her chest heaves with the effort of crying, "Sh it's okay, I've got you" I say hoping to soothe her just a little bit. Eventually she stops and I tilt her head up catching sight of the bleeding burn, I move to prop her up against her pillows and headboard, "Wait here, I'll be back in a second" I say needing to get something to help fix it. As I get up, I feel her hand grab onto my arm and I turn to see a heartbreakingly panicked expression on her face, "Please don't go"

I kneel down slightly so I can look her in the eye, "Regina, I'll be back in a minute, I need to get something for that burn" she frowns in confusion so I gingerly touch the area and she winces. I lower my finger and show her the blood at which she gasps, "Don't worry Regina, I'll fix it" I say before getting up again. This time she doesn't stop me and I can see her taking deep breaths in an effort to compose herself.

After I find her first-aid I run a glass of water knowing she must be thirsty. As I walk back into the room and offer the glass to her from which she sips gratefully. "Thank you" she rasps out quietly as I begin to wipe away the blood from her head. She winces as I do so, "Sorry" I say apologetically, "This might sting a little bit" she nods as I apply some antiseptic at which she hisses. I feel her grabbing for my hand and I let her squeeze it as she continues to hiss at the sting of the antiseptic gel on her still raw skin. "I'm sorry" I repeat. "Do you want to talk about it?" I ask as I carefully apply a plaster to the area before taking the water glass out of her slightly shaky hand. She frowns before shaking her head.

"I want to forget about it" she says her voice still slightly shaky from the earlier tears.

"I know" I say with a small sigh wishing it would be easy to do so but knowing full well that I will never forget what happened to her today.

"Thank you for waking me up" she says interrupting my train of thoughts.

"Anytime" I say and I mean it, "Anytime you need me Regina, call, I'll be here"

She nods, "Can you stay?" she mumbles almost afraid to ask, it's times like this that I remember Cora and how she has instilled in our daughter a fear of expressing anything that could be weakness. I wish I could fix that too but little by little she is getting better at asking for help, expressing love and choosing to do good things. I nod at her request, "Of course I will"

"I missed lunch" she mumbles trying to stifle a small yawn.

I smile at her mumbled statement, "That's okay Regina" I reply whilst gently helping her back down into a laying position.

"Sorry" she mutters.

I shake my head, of all the things that happened today a missed lunch is the last thing on my mind but I think sadly, it is the one thing I know for sure I can fix, "Me too" is all I can say before tucking my daughter back under her covers and sitting down knowing I won't be able to sleep this time.


End file.
